Chip Felkel

Founder/CEO, The Felkel Group

Chip Felkel is a veteran public affairs strategist, media relations expert and advocacy innovator with over two decades of experience in the State and National arenas. He also serves as a political analyst for WYFF (NBC).

Felkel’s extensive political resume includes roles with Campbell for Governor, the South Carolina Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, as well as the 1988 Bush-Quayle Campaign (Executive Director – Georgia), DeMint 2002 Congressional Re-elect (campaign manager) and in strategic and communications roles with Bush-Cheney 2000 and 2004.

Over the last decade, Felkel has served as a trusted advisor, navigator and connector to senior decision-makers at all levels of business and government providing a frank objective perspective on political and policy issues, on communications challenges and business development projects. Those years of experience and his passion for getting people more involved in the public policy process led Felkel, along with FG’s COO Brian Aufmuth, to found The RAP Index®, a revolutionary public affairs survey tool that uncovers an organization’s best stakeholder assets.

In the media, Felkel’s willingness to “tell it like it is” has made him a highly valued source for both “on” and “off the record” commentary. Felkel’s viewpoint has been sought by those in both the print and electronic media, and his commentary has appeared on NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates, as well as in The State (Columbia), the Greenville News, the Wall Street Journal, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Charleston Post & Courier, Charlotte Observer and the New York Times. He has also been quoted extensively internationally in the London Daily Telegraph and in O Estatdo de Sao Paulo. Today, along with the rest of his team at FG, he offers insight to a growing number of loyal readers with the Political Entrepreneur blog and is currently developing a book, Political Golf™, a businessman’s guide to effective engagement in the political and policy arena. Felkel’s expertise and insight has also been sought by law firms, associations and corporations as a speaker for staff retreats, training seminars, and annual meetings.

Along with his corporate work, Chip Felkel currently posts a regular blog Front Porch Views which offers social commentary on events of the day. Felkel has served as an instructor for Leadership Greenville and presently serves as a board member for the History Museum of UpCountry South Carolina and on the Partnership Board for the University of South Carolina’s Department of Political Science. Chip lives in Simpsonville, SC with his wife Shonna and their children, Ethan and Addison.